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Quarter way thru season

I have been pleased with the improvement of the offensive line this year. Not top notch but getting there. The running game is improved as well. I am surprised with their performance considering the loss of Colon in camp. Pouncey has stepped in nicely and brought their level of play up.

Special teams have looked improved as well. Sepulveda is booming them for us. Coverages have looked good. Punt return blows. Time to get ARE outta there. Reed needs a change of scenery imo.

Defense looks better, but how could it not with Smith and Polamalu back. Gay is back where he belongs and secondary is keeping balls in front of them (except one, dammit).

There is a philosophy I believe that all football teams and coaches share across the league and it's 4 simple steps. You gotta win at home,split on the road, beat the bad teams,and split against the good teams. If you do that right there you should end up with an 11-5 or 12-4 record. As Ive said in other threads as long as the Steelers can go 5-2 in their next 7 games and beat both the Browns and the Bengals in that 7 game stretch then they will be 2-1 in the division and have the same division record as the Ravens and will probably have the same overall record as the Ravens going into their showdown on December 5th in Baltimore which should be 8-3 or 9-2. I know the Steelers have that tough 3 game road trip coming up here after the Browns game but out of the next 7 games for the Steelers before the next Baltimore game with the Browns,Dolphins,Saints,Bengals,Patriots,Raiders,an d Bills I see at the very most 2 losses 1 being to the Saints and the other one maybe being to the Patriots. Other then that I dont really see the Steelers losing many games in this stretch. 6-1 or 5-2 is a strong strong possiblity for sure...

There is a philosophy I believe that all football teams and coaches share across the league and it's 4 simple steps. You gotta win at home,split on the road, beat the bad teams,and split against the good teams. If you do that right there you should end up with an 11-5 or 12-4 record. As Ive said in other threads as long as the Steelers can go 5-2 in their next 7 games and beat both the Browns and the Bengals in that 7 game stretch then they will be 2-1 in the division and have the same division record as the Ravens and will probably have the same overall record as the Ravens going into their showdown on December 5th in Baltimore which should be 8-3 or 9-2. I know the Steelers have that tough 3 game road trip coming up here after the Browns game but out of the next 7 games for the Steelers before the next Baltimore game with the Browns,Dolphins,Saints,Bengals,Patriots,Raiders,an d Bills I see at the very most 2 losses 1 being to the Saints and the other one maybe being to the Patriots. Other then that I dont really see the Steelers losing many games in this stretch. 6-1 or 5-2 is a strong strong possiblity for sure...

If we split with the Ravens and last Sunday was the only division game we lose, then we have the tie breaker with the Ravens because they would have lost to us and the Bengals, isnt that right?

If we split with the Ravens and last Sunday was the only division game we lose, then we have the tie breaker with the Ravens because they would have lost to us and the Bengals, isnt that right?

Yes - here is A Ton of info about playoff rankings from NFL.com
The six postseason participants from each conference are seeded as follows:

The division champion with the best record.
The division champion with the second-best record.
The division champion with the third-best record.
The division champion with the fourth-best record.
The Wild Card club with the best record.
The Wild Card club with the second-best record.
The following procedures will be used to break standings ties for postseason playoffs and to determine regular-season schedules.

NOTE: Tie games count as one-half win and one-half loss for both clubs.

TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION
If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.

Two Clubs
Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Strength of victory.
Strength of schedule.
Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best net points in common games.
Best net points in all games.
Best net touchdowns in all games.
Coin toss
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated during any step, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format).

Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Strength of victory.
Strength of schedule.
Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best net points in common games.
Best net points in all games.
Best net touchdowns in all games.
Coin toss
TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM
If it is necessary to break ties to determine the two Wild-Card clubs from each conference, the following steps will be taken.

If the tied clubs are from the same division, apply division tie breaker.
If the tied clubs are from different divisions, apply the following steps.
Two Clubs
Head-to-head, if applicable.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
Strength of victory.
Strength of schedule.
Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best net points in conference games.
Best net points in all games.
Best net touchdowns in all games.
Coin toss.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)

Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
Strength of victory.
Strength of schedule.
Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best net points in conference games.
Best net points in all games.
Best net touchdowns in all games.
Coin toss
When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the procedure is repeated to name the second Wild-Card, i.e., eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. In situations where three or more teams from the same division are involved in the procedure, the original seeding of the teams remains the same for subsequent applications of the tie breaker if the top-ranked team in that division qualifies for a Wild-Card berth.

DETERMINING HOME-FIELD PRIORITY
To determine home-field priority among division titlists, apply Wild-Card tie breakers.
To determine home-field priority for Wild-Card qualifiers, apply division tie breakers (if teams are from the same division) or Wild-Card tie breakers (if teams are from different divisions).
TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION MEETING
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection order, the strength-of-schedule tie breaker is applied, subject to the following exceptions for playoff clubs:

The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl loser next-to-last.
Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie moves down in drafting priority within its tied segment as follows:
For a loss inthe Wild-Card playoffs, a plus factor of one-half.
For participation, win or lose, in the Divisional Playoffs, a plus factor of one.
For a loss in the conference championship Game, a plus factor of one.
Clubs with the best won-lost-tied records after these steps are applied will drop to their appropriate spots at the bottom of the tied segment. In no case will the above process move a club lower than the segmentin which it was initially tied.
Tied clubs will alternate priority throughout the 7 rounds of the draft. In case of a tie involving three or more teams, the club with priority in the first round will drop to the bottom of the tied segment in the second round and move its way back to the top of the segment in each succeeding round.
If any ties cannot be broken by strength of schedule, the divisional or conference tie breakers, whichever are applicable, are applied. Any ties that still exist are broken by a coin flip.

--- Added 10/5/2010 at 08:16 PM ---

And just to try and get this back on the OPs topic, I think our QB play has regressed. I figure it will pick right up against Cleveland.

I do think we have missed Santonio, of course we couldn't have used him the first 4 wks anyways. ARE has done ok and Hines is still very good and Wallace is as fast as ever and able to stretch D's but having a great route runner like Holmes may be the difference in a couple of tough games. I really hope they let Sanders and Brown play more once Ben is back. I think he will be able to utilize them very well. Of course don't be surprised if BA lines up Wallace, Ward, Sanders, Battle, ARE, Brown, Spaeth, and Miller and tells them all to go deep. Sorry couldn't resist.

The D looks great except for late in the games again. I just watched the Ravens game again and everytime we bring 5 guys Flacco was too busy worrying about getting hit and not able to wait for a WR to get open. The 3 man rush rarely works for us and I am at a loss as to why we continue to utilize this D in a way that doesn't work to our strenghts. Woodley and Harrison are 2 of if not the best pass rushing OLB's in the NFL. I'm afraid that INT that Woodley had makes the coaches think we should drop them into coverage. Thats fine once or twice a game just to confuse the QB but it is not our strength. Troy already provides enough confusion for the opponents OC and QB. Please for the love of God let our OLBs hit the QB late in games. I'm thinking about renting a plane with a sign on the back of it and circling the stadium we are playing in when there are under 10 minutes to play and just put BLITZ BLITZ BLITZ on it.

BTW - I loved the line someone else used earlier. The only thing the prevent D is doing for us is preventing us from winning. Classic.

I have been pleased with the improvement of the offensive line this year. Not top notch but getting there. The running game is improved as well. I am surprised with their performance considering the loss of Colon in camp. Pouncey has stepped in nicely and brought their level of play up.

Special teams have looked improved as well. Sepulveda is booming them for us. Coverages have looked good. Punt return blows. Time to get ARE outta there. Reed needs a change of scenery imo.

Defense looks better, but how could it not with Smith and Polamalu back. Gay is back where he belongs and secondary is keeping balls in front of them (except one, dammit).

Do you think we've regressed in anything from last year?

I am happy with the o-line play also. With the return of our air attack (big ben) i also see mendy having his best year. Pouncey is a beast-great centerpiece to build around in the next few years